I was touched when Little Fiction asked me to write a 2018 top-ten list for their annual New Year’s tradition. But I was also stumped. What to write? As I concentrated more on the task, images of ice kept popping into my head. Icebergs, blocks of ice, icicles. I kept shaking these icy thoughts away. What a weird thing to write about. And yet they returned. My subconscious took over. It reminded me that freezing points had been my 2018 obsession. Indeed, my photo collection was filled with so many images of ice that it was hard to choose which to include in my photo essay.
Writing “Top Ten Bits & Pieces of Ice” was one of the highlights of my 2018. It was a much-needed break from fiction. I am so grateful to Little Fiction for giving me this mental respite. I am also grateful to all the other talented authors who participated in the tradition. Reading everyone else’s top-ten lists was a huge treat, a perfect way to ring in the new year. I hope you have a chance to read them all. Number 9 in Ruth LeFaive’s list especially got me: “Art will deliver me to myself.” I wish this for all of you in the new year: may art deliver you to yourself.
